Extended Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
200 PM EST Sun Nov 22 2020
Valid 12Z Wed Nov 25 2020 - 12Z Sun Nov 29 2020
...Overview and Guidance Evaluation...
Global model guidance this morning has finally come into decent
agreement on favoring southern stream cyclogenesis over the
central Plains midweek before the cyclone weakens and heads toward
the Great Lakes. The GFS still indicates more northern stream
development across the Canadian prairies than the rest of the
guidance. Models then show good agreement on taking a cold front
across the Plains into late this week as deep moisture from the
Gulf of Mexico returns. This is when models begin to diverge in
the way they handle the interaction of the Gulf moisture with the
approaching cold front and subsequent cyclogenesis during the
weekend. The GFS is the more progressive and aggressive model
with this cyclone while the ECMWF is much slower and less
aggressive. Their ensemble means are in between these two
extremes. Meanwhile, the 00 UTC Canadian favors cold air
intrusion with little in the way of cyclogenesis.
The WPC medium range product suite was derived from a blend of the
00 UTC ECMWF/EC mean, the 06Z GFS/GEFS mean together with a
smaller portion from the 00 UTC Canadian model to smooth less
predictable smaller scale details. This yielded a solution in
line with recent guidance trends and maintains good WPC continuity
up to Day 5 Friday, with a faster eastward progression of the low
pressure system across the South next weekend.
...Sensible Weather and Hazards...
A separated southern stream shortwave trough/low aloft and
well-organized surface low pressure/frontal system will produce a
progressive and wide swath of moderate rainfall over the eastern
third of the nation Wed, lingering into New England into Thu
before exiting with approach of an amplified northern stream
trough.
Upstream, progressive but energetic flow aloft will deliver
another round of unsettled weather through midweek over the
Northwest to include rain and higher elevation snows with highest
totals over the Cascades and a secondary maximum into northwestern
Wyoming. Trough/closing low energies aloft in an emerging and
separated southern stream are slated to dig down through the West
later week along with potential for some mixed wintry
precipitation for the central to southern Rockies. System
ejection and downstream cyclo/frontogenesis along with
increasingly deep return moisture from the Gulf of Mexico should
then promote enhanced to locally heavy rainfall next Fri into the
weekend a likely focus across the Deep South.
Kong/Schichtel
Additional 3-7 Day Hazards information can be found on the WPC
medium range hazards chart at:
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/threats/threats.php
WPC medium range 500mb heights, surface systems, weather grids,
quantitative precipitation, winter weather outlook probabilities
and heat indices are at:
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/medr/5dayfcst500_wbg.gif
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/medr/5dayfcst_wbg_conus.gif
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/5km_grids/5km_gridsbody.html
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/day4-7.shtml
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/wwd/pwpf_d47/pwpf_medr.php?day=4
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/heat_index.shtml